Nick Wakefield

OakNorth Bank is no shiny Monzo or Revolut. But what the UK challenger bank lacks in loud logos and viral advertising, it makes up for with a squeaky-clean reputation. Chief risk officer Mark Steele tells Farah Khalique in a sit-down interview at The Banker's HQ on how the lender is expanding into the US in a characteristically cautious way. While many of its digital peers have admitted to embarrassing compliance failures, system outages and swallowed multimillion pound fines in recent history, OakNorth has been quietly building a reputation as one of Britain’s most disciplined and consistently profitable mid-sized banks. With an average liquidity coverage ratio of nearly 500 per cent — more than four times the regulatory minimum — and not a single public enforcement action, it appears to excel at risk management and maintaining its reputation. Visit the comments (switch to 'most recent views') to read the full piece. Photo" Carmen Reichman.

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Monzo Bank has become the latest bank to join the MTD goldrush as the digital bank announces that sole traders and landlords will be able to file taxes directly to HMRC from their business bank account without the need for separate software. The filing tool, provided via a partnership with Sage Embedded services, supports the quarterly MTD submissions and end-of-year returns, starting from the 2026/2027 tax year. Monzo joins the likes of NatWest Group, Starling and Tide in the race to attract business bank accounts -- a recommended step in the MTD process. Full story in the comments below 👇

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If you ever question why collaboration pays, look at this result: advocacy groups from the #payments industry including UK Finance and The Payments Association have prevented well-meaning but disproportionate regulators from imposing 'creative' but what would have been seriously damaging changes to safeguarding regulations in the UK. The team at Travers Smith led by Natalie Lewis and Matt Humphreys highlight this outcome in their article, explaining how the changes being made will mean EMIs and PIs can continue to compete on a level playing field. World class collaboration. Riccardo Tordera-Ricchi Robert Courtneidge Mitch (Munish) Trehan Neil Harris Jana Mackintosh Nuala Jackson Sophie Boissier Ben Agnew Tom Brewin https://lnkd.in/evjedX7H

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Open banking was covered widely at this week's Labour Party Conference, with widespread recognition of its critical role in powering UK economic growth and innovation. A standout moment was our Policy Director, Luke Ryder joining a fintech panel alongside Luke Charters MP, TrueLayer’s Megan Coulson, Financial Conduct Authority's Sacha Sadan, and Startup Coalition’s Charlie Mercer. The discussion explored: ✅ The journey OBL is supporting with industry and regulators to secure a long-term framework for open banking; ✅ How we can accelerate progress towards Open Finance to unlock benefits for consumers, businesses and the wider economy; ✅ The growing collaboration across the ecosystem to make this vision a reality. We were also pleased to participate in Innovate Finance and EY’s roundtable on Tech’s Plan for Change, where open banking was highlighted as a prime example of UK-led innovation. Attendees welcomed the move towards a sustainable, long-term model that supports the full ecosystem and enables continued growth. OBL remains committed to working with industry, policymakers, regulators, and consumer and business representatives to support this flourishing UK sector and ensure open banking continues to play a pivotal role in driving inclusive economic growth. #OpenBanking #OpenFinance #Innovation #FinTech #FutureOfFinance #Innovation #DigitalInnovation #TechInnovation The Labour Party

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The Bank of England has set a clear timeline for the future of payments. From November 2027, mandatory ISO 20022 enhanced data requirements will expand across CHAPS. This follows the May 2025 mandate introducing Purpose Codes and Legal Entity Identifiers (LEIs) in certain transactions. Momentum is already building: ✅ The Bank of England and Pay.UK have added LEIs to Bank Reference Data in the Extended Industry Sort Code Database, strengthening data accuracy. ✅ The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) has started publishing LEIs for UK-regulated firms. These steps mark a significant shift toward richer, more reliable payment data—and underscore the central role of the LEI in supporting financial stability, compliance, and trust. How are financial institutions preparing for this transition? https://lnkd.in/e4VGgHBd #LEI #ISO20022 #DigitalIdentity

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